Moanbaun Wood near Watergrasshill was the
destination for the seventh event in the CorkO Summer League. The warm
bright summers evening enticed large numbers of individuals and families
to the event, all of whom were keen to take full advantage of the
glorious evening and enjoy some orienteering escapades.

Among the
90 entries on the night it was fabulous to see such a large number of
families taking part. The Short course entry list includes the Ryan
Family, Daly Family, Lynch Family, O’Shea Family, Reilly Family, Black
Family and Kearney Family. It is great to see so many families pooling
their navigational skills and enjoying the sport of orienteering.

At
3km the Short course at Moanbaun Wood was probably a little longer than
normal but the extra distance meant participants completed a pleasant
loop along a fire road through the lower part of the map. On our last
Summer League visit to this area Coillte were actively felling sections
of the wood along this loop and machinery and log piles were clearly
evident along this route. This evidence has all been removed and all
that remains is the bleak remnants of the once runnable forest. This
rough open terrain was enriched somewhat on the night by the abundance
of vibrant purple foxgloves plants which have taken root in the area.
The evening sun further accentuated their colours.

The Long
course in Moabaun Wood comprised a good mix of fast running on forest
trails and intricate orienteering through the pockets of runnable
forest. Controls 3 and 4 were located among the grim ruins of the clear
felling. The going was rough in this area and even the once distinctive
earth walls were difficult to see amongst the brashings and undergrowth
which surrounded them.

The legs from 4 through to 7 took
competitors into the runnable forest. Once again a lot of ducking and
weaving was required to avoid the low hanging branches in this area.
Going from 6 to 7 competitors had the option to stay in the forest or
exit onto the fire road. The faster and perhaps taller runners in the
field may have chosen the latter option. Precious seconds could be
gained over fellow competitors by enjoying some fast running on this
forest trail.

The concluding portion of the Long course took
participants through several areas of runnable forest. Given the recent
dry spell these areas were exceptionally dry and resulted in a lovely
cushioned running surface. The steep climb to controls 9 and 10 was
followed by a fast descent through the valley if you took this route to
control 11.

The earth walls were useful hand rails on route to
controls 12 and 13. The evening rays which flickered through the forest
canopy in this region created a splendid picture. However, it would seem that
some competitors struggled to locate the final control on the Long
course which was positioned at the edge of the beautiful beech forest.
Perhaps the rows of magnificent beech trees shrouded in the evening sun
were too distracting while bounding along this very runnable section of
forest. Once located the long run to the finish awaited. Many
participants were witnessed sprinting down the forest road on the home
straight and interestingly it was Conrad Daly who had the fastest split
on the run in with a time of 1:39.

Following on from his first
place finish in James’ Fort last week Conrad Daly ran hard again this
week and claimed his second event winner title when he completed the
4.1km Long course in Moanbaun Wood in a time of 34:48. If Conrad can
keep this form going over the remaining events he will certainly
challenge Josh for the 2015 Summer League title. John Chandler was
runners-up on Tuesday evening when he punched all 14 controls on the
tricky Long course in a time of 35:51.

The contest for the final
podium spot was quite intense. Following a great run at last week’s
event Sean Murphy was hoping to achieve another podium honour this week
however Richard Latimer managed to deny Sean a spot on the rostrum.
Richard Latimer’s impressive run meant he took third place and achieved
his first podium finish in the 2015 Summer League when he finished in a
time of 37:02 a meagre 23 seconds clear of Sean Murphy.

A weekend
of competitive orienteering in Scotland didn’t seem to take its toll on
Niamh Corbett and she was once again the fastest lady on the night.
Niamh completed the Long course in a time of 38:49. Just 30 seconds
separated the next two lady finishers and it was Trishia O'Mahony who
claimed the runners-up spot with a time of 52:43. Elaine Sheridan had to
be content with another third place finish when she completed the
course in a time of 53:13.

Matthew Kearney’s very imposing run of
first place finishes on the Short course came to an end this week when
Dermot Murphy showed his fast pace and took the title of Short course
winner at Moanbaun Wood. Dermot completed the 3km loop in a time of 15
minutes and 22 seconds. Matthew Kearney finished second on the night
when he completed the course in a time of 20:04. There was a very close
battle for third place on the Short course and a mere 15 seconds
separated the next two finishers. Liam Twomey narrowly piped Sienna
Bosonnet for the third place honour. Liam punched all 10 controls in a
time of 21:03. Having just finished the Junior Certificate this was
Sienna’s first event in the 2015 Summer League and no doubt she will be
challenging for podium spots in the coming weeks.

Well done to all who competed on the night. Full individual results with split times are available here.

We
would like to apologise to a number of orienteers who were unable to
see their finish times on the night. A firmware upgrade resulted in
certain types of SI cards not being read correctly at download. We
managed to address the issue and the impacted orienteers should see
their correct times and splits in the results. We're really sorry for
the mix up on the night.

This week we would like to thank Frank
O’Brien for planning the courses and Liam O’Brien for controlling and
organising the event. Thanks also to Willie Fitzgerald for his
assistance with the event. Thanks again to Gerald Duffy for looking
after the refreshments and to Niamh Corbett for assisting with control
collection.

The competition arena for the eighth event in the
CorkO Summer League will be Ballyannon Wood in Midleton. This ancient
woodland with its ruined cottages, boathouses and sandy shore lines has
challenged many at previous events on this map. A useful tip for next
week would be to check the tides! Further forest trivia and directions
are available here.